Cherry Blossoms and Ford Mustangs
by Lena108
Summary: Stories about Seguchi Mika for my claim at Fanfic100 on Livejournal. Chapter Eight up: Days.
1. If

Endless Questions

By: Lily

Prompt: #82 – If

Approx. Word Count: 238

Rating: PG, for slightly depressing themes

Summary: Mika asks herself a few burning questions.

* * *

What if? What a strange question. To ask what would have happened if we had done things differently. What if I hadn't met him? No… that's far too difficult to think about. What if he hadn't met him? That is easier… more pleasant. He wouldn't care so much about him… why does he now? That overly childish man. Why is he so special? If he were normal, would people still love him so much? What if he weren't so talented? Would he still be allowed to walk free on the streets? Or would he have been placed in an insane asylum long ago? What if _he_ just didn't care so much? What if my husband had just dropped him after Nittle Grasper broke up? It is something he would do… why didn't he?

I don't wish to linger on that thought. It is upsetting… What if I hadn't allowed him to take Eiri to New York? What if I had gone with them? Would things still be the way they are now? Would Eiri be so cold? Or would he still be the happy, naïve boy he once was? Like Shindou… is that why Eiri is still with him? Because Shindou is the image of his former self? Is that what draws them together? There is a lot I do not understand… What if I were different? Would Tohma still love me? Or would he love me more?


	2. Purple

Infinate Different

By: Lily

Prompt: #16 - Purple

Approx. Word Count: 189

Rating: PG. Again, a little depressing.

Summary: Mika compares herself to her best friend.

* * *

Purple, such a bright and vibrant color. Mika Seguchi was often called the Ice Queen. Who would have guessed that she would become best friends with the peppy, violent-haired keyboardist from Nittle Grasper. Noriko had a certain charisma, almost like a magnet, drawing people close to her. Magnets did not usually hold onto ice. They seemed like a violent contradiction, the two of them. Light and dark. Warm and cold. Noriko's bright purple hair contrasted Mika's brown. It seemed rather childish to compare herself to her best friend using their different hair colors… and yet, in a sense, it described them. Noriko's magnetic personality drew people to her, just as all eyes turned to her because of the color of her hair.

Mika, on the other hand, could get lost in a crowd. She worked harder for attention. What exactly was it that was so different about Noriko that people would ignore Mika for? It was the color of her hair. The color purple, that Mika knew she couldn't even wear, let alone use it as a hair color. The color that set the two women apart so dramatically.


	3. Beginnings

Just Another Rockstar

By: Lily

Prompt: #1 - Beginnings

Approx. Word Count: 865

Rating: PG

Summary: Mika never particularly liked rockstars. Until she met one.

* * *

The music blared loudly. An enticing voice floated out over the crowd. A few girls had fainted by this time, but Mika Uesugi was slowly making her way through the crowd, holding both of her younger brothers tightly by the hand, afraid the she would lose them in the massive crowd. Tatsuha was bouncing up and down with glee. He had wanted to see a Nittle Grasper concert ever since Mika had purchased one of their CDs. Eiri, on the other hand, was simply petrified. There was no need for her to hold his hand, for he seemed to be attached to her. One would have never guessed that he was fourteen.

Mika, truthfully, would have never thought to listen to this sort of music. It was far too trendy for her tastes. However, one of her greatest friends happened to be a keyboardist in the band, so she felt almost obligated to attend. Noriko was rather ecstatic when she agreed, so she decided not to create a reason not to go. As she approached the stage, she smiled slightly. Noriko was quite charismatic and she did look quite lovely on stage. The two men who were her band mates did not particularly interest Mika. She imagined that they left their concerts and picked up on a whore of a fangirl from the crowd for the night. That was how most famous men were, anyway.

The backstage passes Noriko had given her did not help her mood at all. In fact, she was thoroughly angry about that. She did not want to spend a good deal of time backstage with two male rock stars with her younger brothers. One of which happened to be completely in love with the lead singer. That was rather annoying. She had half a mind to take him home and knew for certain Eiri would not object, but she once again decided to stay, for Noriko's sake. Though, the truth of it was that Mika nearly dreaded the end of the concert.

Alas, it did have to end eventually, so there she was, standing just outside the dressing room door. The security guard rose an eyebrow, which she returned with a glare before finally turning the doorknob and escorting her brothers inside. There weren't as many people as she had expected. There were only the three band members, a fussy looking man in a suit and now Mika and her brothers. All in once instant, she was nearly attacked as Noriko threw herself at her and gave her a large hug, causing Mika to let out a yelp in surprise and Eiri and Tatsuha to finally release her hands and scurry to opposite sides of the room.

"Mika! I'm so glad you came! Did you like it? How did we do?" Noriko bounced slightly after releasing her friend from her death-grip and smiled widely. Mika was forced to smile along with her.

"Yes, I did. It sounded great." She glanced at the three men in the room. The lead singer had made his way over to Tatsuha and the two were now having a lively conversation about stuffed rabbits. The other keyboardist, however, was simply sitting in the corner, his eyebrows raised. What in the world was he staring at? Mika attempted to ignore him and concentrate on Noriko's babble, which seemed to be ranging from the concert to a trip to Jamaica. Eventually, she moved away to talk to the man in the suit. Mika turned then to fetch Eiri from under the makeup table. However, the other keyboardist got their first. Mika glared at him, but he didn't seem to mind. Soon, he had coaxed Eiri out from under the table and was dusting him off, smiling kindly.

"Mika-san," he said suddenly. "If my memory serves me correctly." He held out his hand to Mika, who hesitantly took it.

"Yes, that would be me," she told him, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Noriko talks about you quite a bit," he told her, his smile widening.

"Does she?" Mika shot a glance over at Noriko, who was still talking to the twitchy man. The keyboardist nodded. "Now, you'll forgive me… you know my name, but I don't believe I know yours."

"Oh, you'll have to forgive me. How rude… I'm Seguchi Tohma."

"It's a pleasure, Seguchi-san." She couldn't help but smile at him. So maybe Noriko had gotten lucky with the guys she played with. They talked for a short while before Eiri finally whisked him away to play a game with him. Mika watched, smiling, as Noriko approached.

"So… what do you think of him?"

"What do I think?" Mika tilted her head. "He's a nice guy. I've never seen Eiri connect like that with anyone before."

"Oh, good." Noriko smiled. "Then Ryu and I will watch the kids while you two go out on a date!"

"What?" Mika's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"He'll take you to dinner while Ryu-chan and I watch Eiri and Tatsuha!" she giggled. "It's okay. We were planning to anyway."

"Noriko…" Mika frowned at her.

"I insist!"

Mika sighed softly, but gave in. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad…


	4. Fixed

_All For You_

**By**: Lily

**Rating**: G

**Summary**: Tohma returns home after the Nittle Grasper/Bad Luck Concert without Eiri. Mika consoles him.

**A/N**: I don't own these characters. I just fanfic about them. Enjoy!

-------------------

Mika was waiting at the airport. Though Noriko had asked her to go to the concert, she felt no desire to. She wanted to wait for her husband and brother. Assuming they came together, that was. They had to come together. She was sure that Eiri would see reason now after all these years. The trip to New York had to have done him some sort of good. However, her hopes fell when she saw Tohma walk off the plane—alone.

"I thought you would be at the concert," Tohma told her, frowning slightly as he approached. It was clear that he wasn't in the best of moods. Mika felt the sudden temptation to run and hug him, despite her proper upbringing.

"I suppose it would be useless to inform you that I'm not," she told him. "It didn't go as you planned, did it?"

"Not at all," he admitted. "Eiri… is beyond needing my help anymore." Mika frowned. It was quite obvious that it pained him to say that. She gave into her temptation then and reached out, gathering him into her arms, hugging him tightly. Surprisingly, he didn't resist and, in fact, seemed to melt into the embrace.

"True, there's nothing more you can do for him," Mika admitted, rubbing his back soothingly. "But that's because he's no longer broken. He may not always show it, but he's happy with Shindou. And I'm happy for them." She paused for a moment, smiling slightly. "And you should be too."

"I am… I want nothing but the best for Eiri," he stated. "And I admit that only Shindou can give him the best."

"Exactly," she ran her hand gently through his hair. "You have your own family to worry about." Tohma glanced up at her for a brief moment before closing the small distance between them, catching her lips in a chaste kiss.

"You're right. Nothing is more important now than you," he told her, placing a gentle hand on her belly. "Both of you."

END

Thanks for reading! Leave me reviews and you get cookies!

Always,

Lily


	5. Middles

Caught in the Middle

By: Lily

Rating: G

Summary: Mika and Tohma have a talk about his habits late at night.

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Mika sighed and checked her watch. Late again. She shook her head and put the dinner she made into the refrigerator. Why the man just wouldn't stop working at a reasonable hour was beyond her. It rarely felt like she was married at all.

She stayed awake for a short while longer. When the digital clock read midnight, she figured that it was futile. He never called anyway, even if he was coming home. He'd probably show up at some ungodly hour only to leave for work another hour later.

She was nearly correct. It was nearly two in the morning when she felt him slip under the covers beside her.

"Tohma?" she asked.

"Yes, Mika, it's me," she heard him say. He planted a kiss on her cheek. "Go back to sleep."

"No, we need to talk," she told him, rolling over to look at him.

"What about?" he asked, almost innocently.

"You know what about," she nearly snapped. "This. You. Coming home late like this. It's ridiculous, Tohma."

"You know how demanding my job is," he reminded her. "Please, Mika. Not now."

"If not now, then when?" she propped herself up on her pillow. "You're never home for us to talk about it." Tohma was silent for a moment. Mika almost suspected that he'd gone to sleep, but then he spoke softly.

"All right," he said, nodding. "We'll talk about it." He sat up as well and offered her a smile. Not his trademark, forced smile, but a genuine one that very few people knew. "If it makes you feel better, I'll come home earlier when I can. You know that my job is demanding…"

"You don't consider being a good husband your job?" she asked him. "The company isn't the only thing you have, Tohma. I want to be taken care of sometimes too. Just to know I mean something to you. I'm not just here for your convenience." He was silent for another moment.

"You're absolutely right," he told her, surprising her. There were no arguments from him, as there usually were. "I should be taking care of you. More often than I have been anyway. You deserve that much for putting up with this."

"Are you just saying that to get me off your case or do you really mean it?" she asked.

"I mean it," he told her. "I want you to have the best life possible." He scooted over and gathered her into his arms. "I want to make you the happiest woman on earth." She rested her head against his shoulder and sighed.

"I just want to see you sometimes. Maybe come home for lunch or dinner. That would make me very happy."

"I'll do my best." He leaned his head down and pressed his lips to hers.

She knew what was to happen, though. He would be home early the day after. He would bring her flowers and cook her dinner. The next day, things would be back to normal. He would get home late and they would have this conversation again. The never ending cycle. Perhaps some day she would leave, find somebody who would give her more attention. But for now, however, she was content.

END


	6. Strangers

Strangers

By: Lily

Rating: PG

Summary: Tohma and Eiri return home from New York, but something is different.

* * *

Her brother had changed. He left Japan as a happy, carefree child, and returned a cold teenager who, despite his features, could be mistaken for a man. He hadn't acknowledged her at the airport when he returned. He simply pushed past her outstretched arms. Tohma had followed shortly after, shaking his head, assuring her that he would explain everything later.

Eiri didn't say a word the entire car ride home. Mika had attempted to start a conversation, but in the end, the only responses she received were a few grunts and nods. Tohma eventually took over the explanation, telling her all about the skyscrapers and busy streets of New York, but nothing about what had changed the boy so drastically.

They arrived back at the temple with plenty of daylight left, but Eiri grabbed his suitcase and went to bed. Mika saw her father glare at Tohma as Eiri had ignored him as well, but Mika got to him first. She grabbed his arm and dragged him out to the garden in the back.

"What the hell did you do to my brother?" she demanded.

"Mika, please understand…" he started. "I didn't know…"

"What did you _do_?" she insisted, crossing her arms over her chest, stubbornly.

"_I_ didn't do anything!" he explained, frantically. He reached out to grasp her shoulders. "It was Yuki, but I swear, I had nothing to do with it! I—I didn't know it was going to happen until too late…"

"Tohma! Spit it out, dammit!" she nearly yelled.

"He was going to rape him! Yuki and those two bastards he met on the street!" Mika had to take a moment to comprehend what was just said, but Tohma went on right away. "I got there too late. Eiri had already…" he took a shaky breath, "taken care of them…"

"You mean he…" Mika didn't even need to finish that statement. Tohma nodded his head and Mika put her hands to her mouth, still trying her best to comprehend that Eiri, her sweet, happy little brother, killed three men. Especially one he cared about. As all of that sank in, Mika put her head on Tohma's shoulder. She felt him wrap his arms around her waist, but she paid him little mind.

"Tohma… what if…"

"They'll never find out," he said. "They won't find the gun, I guarantee it. We have been long gone and they haven't found him yet. Any of them."

That was only one good thing in a world of bad. As time went on, Mika found that she knew her brother less and less. When she married Tohma, he didn't even come to the wedding. Whether it was a bitterness toward Tohma or just his preference to shy away from the outside world, she didn't know. She rarely saw him and when she paid him visits at home he would glare at her and simply tell her to leave… as if she were some stranger.

END


	7. Sunset

A Chance Meeting

**By **Lena108

**Prompt **#32 - Sunset

**Word Count** 430

**Rating** G

**Summary** Mika takes time out to watch the sunset and is joined by someone else.

* * *

Mika Seguchi was not usually one to sit back and enjoy the simple pleasures in life. She liked to keep moving forward and never really stopped to appreciate the little things. On this particular day, however, she had nothing better to do. She was currently sitting on a small hill in the park. She laid back on the grass and closed her eyes. She couldn't remember the last time she had relaxed like this. After a long day, she'd forgotten just how peaceful watching the sunset was. Watching the sky change its color from blue to orange and pink. It was an odd phenomenon, but she wasn't here to analyze why the sky changed. She was just here to enjoy it.

"Mika-san?" a nervous voice drew her out of her thoughts. She didn't even have to open her eyes to figure out who it was.

"Yes, Sakano-san?" she asked with uncharacteristic patience. "If you would like to join me, you're more than welcome to."

He obviously didn't need telling twice. Mika heard him sit down on the grass next to her and shift uncomfortably for some time before she finally opened her eyes to looked over at him, more amused than annoyed.

"You didn't really have to join me if you didn't want to," she informed him, causing him to look over at her with surprise.

"Oh, no!" he protested. "It's not that at all! I just… don't know how I should behave around you. Do you want me to call you ma'am or…"

"Why can't you behave normally around me?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, her patience slowly running out. It took Sakano a moment to reply, obviously considering his answer to the question carefully.

"Well… you're Seguchi-san's wife," he began. "So, naturally…"

"You should treat me like a human being," she finished for him. "I'm not your superior. Tohma has no hand in any praise or punishment you will receive for how you treat me. If you're going to join me, I'd like to be treated like an acquaintance of yours. Not like Tohma's trophy wife."

He was silent for a while before finally speaking again. Mika was certain that he thought very carefully on things he was going to say. When he did speak, he certainly seemed more at ease than he had before.

"Oh, uh… okay…" he said, taking a deep breath, presumably to calm his nerves. "Then… uh… how are you doing today, Mika-san?"

Mika smiled, closing her eyes again. "Fine, thank you."

Well, it was a start.

END


	8. Days

One Day at a Time

**By**: Lena108

**Rating**: G

**Summary**: Only a few days after she first met him…

**A/N:** I was challenged by a friend to write a one-shot with no dialogue, so I decided to give it a shot.

Nittle Grasper, as popular as it was, really didn't seem like a big deal to Mika. Oh, the music wasn't bad or anything, but it simply wasn't the kind for her. She would never tell that to any of its members, though, especially their overly dramatic lead singer. He seemed to have a habit of crying when he didn't think he was pleasing everyone in the world. Thus, Mika learned to keep her mouth shut. It had only been a few days since she'd met him anyhow.

Ryuichi, however, wasn't the one on her mind as of late. Sure, Noriko had mentioned how uptight and stuffy Tohma could be. Mika couldn't help but feel some sort of attraction to the keyboardist. Yes, he was quite feminine. It was true that he was, for the most part, strictly business. The fact of the matter was that Mika enjoyed spending time with him. He was attractive and interesting to talk to.

So, when he called her out of the blue and invited her to dinner, Mika had to do what she could not to immediately shout out a 'yes'. She pretended to check her calendar before giving him the response that she was, indeed, free for dinner that evening. Eiri had asked her why she seemed so happy lately, but she ignored the question by simply patting him on the head, explaining he would understand when he was older.

Dinner was excellent. The man really had good taste, which added another tally to what Mika found attractive about him. The conversation was wonderful and Tohma really had all the fixings of a true gentleman. How he'd involved himself in a band with Ryuichi and Noriko was beyond Mika, but she wouldn't question it. She wouldn't have met him otherwise, which would have been terrible.

Strangely enough, Mika didn't find herself tongue tied at all on the way home. They held a conversation for quite a while, even sitting out in his car for another hour or so to finish their conversation on music. It was then that she found out he had learned to play Mozart and Chopin before he even thought to work with a synthesizer. This was quite impressive and Mika let him know that. She thought she saw a tinge of a blush as she complimented him, but it was too dark to be sure.

Then, he did something she hadn't expected. He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. It was only a quick peck, for he pulled away and apologized immediately. Mika, however, felt there were no need for apologies. Her first kiss with Seguchi Tohma had been special and she knew for a fact that there would be more in days to come.

END


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